49ers receiver Deebo Samuel is never afraid to tell it like he sees it. He called Eagles cornerback James Bradberry “trash” in the days after the NFC Championship Game, and earlier this week, Samuel doubled down by saying he doesn’t regret it.
Bradberry had a chance to start a back and forth between the players and, as hard as reporters tried, he wouldn’t do it.
“Of course, I don’t necessarily like what he said,” Bradberry said, via Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I wish he would have used a better word to describe my play, but it is what it is. At the end of the day, all I can do is control my work ethic and what I do day to day.”
Bradberry said he has no idea why Samuel chose that word to describe the corner’s play, and Samuel hasn’t explained.
“You would have to ask him,” Bradberry said. “From the clips that I saw, they felt like they had a good game plan against us. They felt like they had some open routes against us. Yeah, I don’t know. You’ve got to ask him.”
Samuel and Bradberry will meet for the first time since the NFC Championship Game when the 49ers play at Philadelphia on Sunday.
Bradberry, a second-team All-Pro in 2022 and a Pro Bowler in 2020, said he will let his play do the talking for him. He had an interception in Sunday’s victory over the Bills to go along with five passes defensed.
“You know what? I’ve been playing football since I was 8,” Bradberry said. “I’m 30 now, so I’ve been playing roughly 22 years of my life. I’ve had people say negative things about me in the past. When I was coming out of high school, people said I couldn’t do it. When I was in college, I was transferring, [and] people said I couldn’t play corner because I was playing safety originally. And then coming into the league, people said I couldn’t do certain things.
“I got drafted in the second round. It’s my eighth year in the league. So, really, negative comments don’t really bother me like that. I try not to let it get to me. I just try to control my work ethic and lining up on Sunday and whatever cards I have, I’m going to play them. And let the product speak for itself.”
